SBIR Phase I: Development and Evaluation of a Robust, Compliant, Sensorized Prosthetic Hand

这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目的广泛影响/商业潜力将主要惠及全球1140万手截肢患者。通过以低于竞争对手设备的价格制造和销售假手，拟议中的假手预计对上肢截肢者来说更负担得起。通过加入顺应性材料来增加健壮性，应该可以让患者更长时间地使用手，而不会担心损坏。通过融入压力传感器，该团队希望能够使患者能够精确地操纵许多不同类型的物体。两名截肢的退伍军人已经能够使用这项拟议技术的早期版本。通过该设备的低成本和手独特的先进功能，该项目的目标是通过创新的假肢设备帮助全球数百万手截肢患者重新获得独立和对生活的信心。拟议的项目涉及开发和评估一种负担得起的、坚固的肌电假手，它为用户提供自然、顺从的抓取和压力反馈。要使手顺应性，将需要使用目前可用的商业假肢装置中没有使用的柔软、顺应性材料。手中使用的设计和材料必须足够坚固，足以维持至少两年的日常使用。最后，感应手将需要在手指上放置压力传感器和电子设备，这些也需要承受冲击。可行性将通过在加速寿命试验(150,000个弯曲/延伸循环)和人体试验(日常生活和运动控制任务的活动后的表现)中的每个设计迭代的表现来确定。第一阶段原型的能力将在第二阶段扩展，以交付一个完整的肌电假手系统，供临床医生与患者使用。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will primarily benefit the 11.4 million people with hand amputations worldwide. By making and selling a prosthetic hand at a price lower than competing devices, the proposed prosthetic hand is expected to be more affordable for people with upper limb amputations. Increasing robustness by incorporating compliant materials should allow patients to use their hands longer without worry of damage. By incorporating pressure sensors, the team expects to enable patients to precisely manipulate many different types of objects. Two former war veterans with amputations have already been enabled with early versions of the proposed technology. Through the low cost of the device and the advanced features unique to the hand, the goal of this project is to help the millions of hand amputees worldwide to regain independence and confidence in their lives through innovative prosthetic devices.The proposed project involves development and evaluation of an affordable, robust myoelectric prosthetic hand that provides natural, compliant grasps with pressure feedback to users. Making the hand compliant will require the use of soft, compliant materials not used in currently available commercial prosthetic devices. The design and materials used in the hand must be robust enough to last at least two years of daily usage. Finally, sensorizing the hand will require placing pressure sensors and electronics in the fingers that also need to withstand impacts. Feasibility will be established through the performance of each design iteration in accelerated life tests (150,000 flex/extend cycles) and human subject experiments (performance after activities of daily living and motor control tasks). The capabilities of the Phase I prototype will be extended in Phase II for delivery of a complete myoelectric prosthetic hand system that is ready for clinicians to use with patients.